I've spent some time over the last few weeks working on the design for a new quilt and it's coming together well. As mentioned in my introductory post (
http://bertcollections.blogspot.com/2009/01/introductions.html), I'm working on a quilt inspired by a teapot I've inherited from my paternal grandparents, (although I've decided to change its working title to time for tea). So far what I'm working with is:
*a collection of blue and white print fabrics I collected on a trip to the USA in 2005
*a collection of photographs of teapots that I'm gradually turning into applique patterns on my computer.
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my friends and family and casual acquaintences for the pictures of teapots that I have so far - each one has a story that goes withit, so maybe I should write a set of short stories to accompany the quilt.
Anyway, what I wanted to write about today is the creative process of getting started on a quilt. Time for Tea, has started with a blend of ideas and has become for me a collage of the story of 'time for a cuppa'. In my family, you're always offered a cup of tea when you visit someone, it's an easy way of asking "what's happening", a form of comfort from life's troubles (especially if someone else makes it), and a way of just getting "five minutes peace" from the bustle of daily life. I have many happy memories of sitting at the dining table with members of my family just spending good times together . I should also mention that tea is particularly part of 'the girls'' traditions in the family, and reminds me of my grand mothers so I'm making the quilt particularly with them in mind, but almost as a tribute to the women of my family. What I'm trying to do in the quilt is somehow combine all these ideas.
In addition to the ideas I want to convey, the broad style of the quilt (traditional, modern, square, rectangular, big, small etc.) is an important thing for me to clarify early, and then I develop some 'rules of thumb' that I use when deciding what to do next for the quilt to make sure the overall tone or theme of the quilt is consistent. In this case, I'm working with traditional style fabrics, on a symettrical design based on a clock in the centre with borders and features round the the outside (I'll post a picture of my scribbles to show what I mean). I want the fabrics and symmetry of the quilt to make it look traditional, but to use the applique and quilting to make the quilt more informal, to reflect homely origins of the ideas.
That's about where the ideas for T4T are at. For now I need to create some more applique patterns from photos I collected while on holidays and refne the design a bit further - oh, and finish the Life's Rich Tapestry quilt which I was going to start quilting 10 minutes ago, but decided I type a blog entry while I had my cup of tea first, so the tradition continues :-)
Happy holidays to one and all on Christmas day,
Bert
I’m going to do a couple of test pieces with this template before I decide the best method to make it with. The first option I’m trying is the ‘stick and stitch’ method using adhesive backing to attach the pieces to the background, and then sewing around the shapes. I think I’ll also try freezer paper to see how the results differ. 
I’m also doing two variations of fabric on the first test pieces as well (as shown in the photos below). I want to figure out whether the teapots work better as one continuous piece of fabric or as a combination of fabrics. 
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